April 13, 1743 Goochland county, Virginia- July 4, 1826 Monticello estate, Virginia
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Terms: Two terms, 1801-1805 and 1805-1809
Vice President: First Term, Aaron Burr; Second Term, George Clinton Thematic Context There were many great cultural changes throughout Jefferson’s presidency, particularly in westward exploration. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is perhaps one of the most famous explorations of western America. Jefferson directed the expedition to learn about the land from the Louisiana Purchase, and the explorers Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their Shoshoni assistant, Sacajawea, covered much of the American land all the way to the Pacific coast. Their published work about their 8,000-mile, two-and-a-half year journey provided a great new light of the western frontier to America with details about the land, wildlife, and natives. The new information led thousands of settlers to the Oregon Country. This was a huge cultural movement for the many pioneers who moved westward into the new part of the growing nation. The Lewis and Clark Expedition led to the creation of a whole new part of American culture.
Another progression in culture that took place during Jefferson’s presidency would be Robert Fulton’s invention of the steamboat in 1807. The steamboat revolutionized water travel by allowing travelers to go against wind and tides and to go much faster than before. Steamboats opened up all navigable rivers into two-way-traffic waterways, especially the Mississippi River. This caused a huge cultural shift to reliance on the newer and quicker way of transport. Eventually, tying in with Lewis and Clark, the boats allowed more Americans to settle in western and southern frontiers.
Thesis The Virginia-born Thomas Jefferson had much notable political experience in the country before his presidency, which paved the way for his further political success. He was able to do a lot with the country in his two terms due to the “Revolution of 1800”, as his election was called, because it marked the fall of federalism and rise of republicanism, and his party had much of the power. Many of Jefferson’s actions as president were beneficial to the country. He and his administration did many things such as removing the hated liquor tax and allowing the Alien and Sedition Acts to lapse. His ability to make a quick decision allowed the United States to make the Louisiana Purchase, which turned out to be very successful. However, Jefferson often seemed to lack foresight in such ventures as seen with the passing of the Embargo Act. All in all, Thomas Jefferson should receive a high B for his presidency because he was very successful; his only downfall was that made many rash decisions that either could have or did cause detrimental effects to America.
Goals As a republican, there was a lot Jefferson wanted to change after John Adam’s presidency. He wanted to reduce the power and size of the federal government and allow the states to have more individual power. He also wanted to limit the military, and to dramatically reduce taxes. Jefferson did many things to accomplish these goals by reducing the size of various government departments and lowering national spending. He also cut down on most taxes in various ways, including the removal of the federal liquor tax. With republicanism taking over federalism after Jefferson’s election, he was able to accomplish most of what he wanted to do with the country.
Relationship with Congress Throughout Jefferson’s presidency, his own party, the Republicans, held the majority in Congress. The parties were originally fairly close in numbers, but by the end of Jefferson’s first term, the republicans already held the vast majority of the seats and continued to do so for some time after that. This strong relationship with both houses helped Jefferson accomplish many goals as president and also contributed to the fall of federalism and strengthening of republicanism. He was easily able to remove many strong federalist acts and movements such as The Alien and Sedition Acts passed by John Adams. Also, perhaps without such strong support in the Senate, The Louisiana Purchase may not have been ratified, though it is widely regarded as Jefferson’s most important presidential achievement. The strong relationship between Congress and President Jefferson allowed Jefferson and his administration to easily take many political actions, and is one of the reasons why Jefferson did achieve so much as president.
Outcomes The Louisiana Territory was a large portion of land originally owned by Spain, but a secret pact from 1800 transferred the land to France under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The United States were very wary of their new French neighbors because Napoleon posed much more of a threat than the weak Spanish power did over the land. To avoid conflict, in 1803, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to make an offer to buy New Orleans. However, Napoleon of France offered the United States a chance to buy the entire Louisiana Territory at an incredibly cheap price. This was partially because of imminent war with Britain, but also because of various failures in France's attempt at an empire in the New World. Jefferson was not sure that the purchase of such land was constitutional, but he still quickly decided to buy the land before Napoleon could change his mind. Though the Constitution did not state that Jefferson was able to make such a treaty, it would be a great deal for the land and would also remove the French threat that rested so close to the colonies. The Senate later ratified the purchase. Some argue that the Louisiana Purchase was not a good move of Jefferson because he did not really have the power to purchase the land and it could have led to major conflicts and negative consequences. Truly, a lot could have gone wrong with the Louisiana Purchase but it turned out to have a beneficial outcome for America. It more than doubled the size of the country at a very low price and avoided military conflict; Jefferson’s quick decision making skills allowed him to take advantage of what might have been the only chance to do such a thing even if he needed to go against the Constitution.
Jefferson made many more decisions as president, and not all of them were good ones. During the Napoleonic Wars, many British and French ships began harassing American ships. One of the most famous cases of this was when the British ship, Leopard, violently attacked the American ship, the Chesapeake, and its crew. Jefferson wanted to find a way to make these foreign countries recognize American neutrality and to stop such harsh actions, so he passed the Embargo Act in 1807. The Embargo Act prevented American ships from sailing to foreign ports and foreign ships from unloading cargo at American ports. The idea was that the British and the French would agree to stop attacking American vessels when they realized how hurt they were without American trade. France and Britain, however, were scarcely affected by the Embargo Act and it was instead the American economy that suffered. This was the most negative act of Jefferson’s presidency not only because it did not accomplish its goal of establishing America's neutral rights at sea, but it left many unemployed, crippled the nation’s economy, and cost America over $16 million. The Embargo Act seemed to be a hasty and ill thought out decision that only served to harm America.
Future Influence Many of Jefferson’s actions had a strong influence on the future. One of these things was the abolition of the slave trade. Jefferson signed a bill that made all importation of slaves illegal after January 1, 1808. Like before in America’s history, this did not stop smugglers, but the numbers of imported slaves were drastically reduced. This was a small but important step towards the removal of slavery in America and also led to many radical changes in the culture and politics of future generations. While would be many years until more action was taken against slavery and even more until it was totally abolished in the country, this ban on the trade paved the way for the country to put an end to slavery.
Conclusion With everything said, Jefferson may not have been an entirely perfect president, but his presidency, marking the end of federalist and beginning of republican power, without a doubt did great things for the United States. The abolition of the slave trade was a vital step in the removal of slavery in America. The risky and controversial Louisiana Purchase turned out to give the country much more land at a once in a lifetime price and also created new American lifestyles. However, Jefferson took some other risks that were bad for the country. Though he had good intentions, Jefferson failed to see the problems with the Embargo Act and caused a lot of damage to the United States’ economy. Still, America was in a much better place after Jefferson’s two terms of presidency than it was before, and in many ways it was on the road to future success.
Bibliography Bailey, Thomas A., David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
DeGregorio, William A. The complete book of U.S. presidents. 6th ed. New York: Gramercy Books, 2005. Print.
April 13, 1743 Goochland county, Virginia- July 4, 1826 Monticello estate, Virginia
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Terms: Two terms, 1801-1805 and 1805-1809
Vice President: First Term, Aaron Burr; Second Term, George Clinton
Thematic Context
There were many great cultural changes throughout Jefferson’s presidency, particularly in westward exploration. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is perhaps one of the most famous explorations of western America. Jefferson directed the expedition to learn about the land from the Louisiana Purchase, and the explorers Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their Shoshoni assistant, Sacajawea, covered much of the American land all the way to the Pacific coast. Their published work about their 8,000-mile, two-and-a-half year journey provided a great new light of the western frontier to America with details about the land, wildlife, and natives. The new information led thousands of settlers to the Oregon Country. This was a huge cultural movement for the many pioneers who moved westward into the new part of the growing nation. The Lewis and Clark Expedition led to the creation of a whole new part of American culture.
Another progression in culture that took place during Jefferson’s presidency would be Robert Fulton’s invention of the steamboat in 1807. The steamboat revolutionized water travel by allowing travelers to go against wind and tides and to go much faster than before. Steamboats opened up all navigable rivers into two-way-traffic waterways, especially the Mississippi River. This caused a huge cultural shift to reliance on the newer and quicker way of transport. Eventually, tying in with Lewis and Clark, the boats allowed more Americans to settle in western and southern frontiers.
Thesis
The Virginia-born Thomas Jefferson had much notable political experience in the country before his presidency, which paved the way for his further political success. He was able to do a lot with the country in his two terms due to the “Revolution of 1800”, as his election was called, because it marked the fall of federalism and rise of republicanism, and his party had much of the power. Many of Jefferson’s actions as president were beneficial to the country. He and his administration did many things such as removing the hated liquor tax and allowing the Alien and Sedition Acts to lapse. His ability to make a quick decision allowed the United States to make the Louisiana Purchase, which turned out to be very successful. However, Jefferson often seemed to lack foresight in such ventures as seen with the passing of the Embargo Act. All in all, Thomas Jefferson should receive a high B for his presidency because he was very successful; his only downfall was that made many rash decisions that either could have or did cause detrimental effects to America.
Goals
As a republican, there was a lot Jefferson wanted to change after John Adam’s presidency. He wanted to reduce the power and size of the federal government and allow the states to have more individual power. He also wanted to limit the military, and to dramatically reduce taxes. Jefferson did many things to accomplish these goals by reducing the size of various government departments and lowering national spending. He also cut down on most taxes in various ways, including the removal of the federal liquor tax. With republicanism taking over federalism after Jefferson’s election, he was able to accomplish most of what he wanted to do with the country.
Relationship with Congress
Throughout Jefferson’s presidency, his own party, the Republicans, held the majority in Congress. The parties were originally fairly close in numbers, but by the end of Jefferson’s first term, the republicans already held the vast majority of the seats and continued to do so for some time after that. This strong relationship with both houses helped Jefferson accomplish many goals as president and also contributed to the fall of federalism and strengthening of republicanism. He was easily able to remove many strong federalist acts and movements such as The Alien and Sedition Acts passed by John Adams. Also, perhaps without such strong support in the Senate, The Louisiana Purchase may not have been ratified, though it is widely regarded as Jefferson’s most important presidential achievement. The strong relationship between Congress and President Jefferson allowed Jefferson and his administration to easily take many political actions, and is one of the reasons why Jefferson did achieve so much as president.
Outcomes
The Louisiana Territory was a large portion of land originally owned by Spain, but a secret pact from 1800 transferred the land to France under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The United States were very wary of their new French neighbors because Napoleon posed much more of a threat than the weak Spanish power did over the land. To avoid conflict, in 1803, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to make an offer to buy New Orleans. However, Napoleon of France offered the United States a chance to buy the entire Louisiana Territory at an incredibly cheap price. This was partially because of imminent war with Britain, but also because of various failures in France's attempt at an empire in the New World. Jefferson was not sure that the purchase of such land was constitutional, but he still quickly decided to buy the land before Napoleon could change his mind. Though the Constitution did not state that Jefferson was able to make such a treaty, it would be a great deal for the land and would also remove the French threat that rested so close to the colonies. The Senate later ratified the purchase. Some argue that the Louisiana Purchase was not a good move of Jefferson because he did not really have the power to purchase the land and it could have led to major conflicts and negative consequences. Truly, a lot could have gone wrong with the Louisiana Purchase but it turned out to have a beneficial outcome for America. It more than doubled the size of the country at a very low price and avoided military conflict; Jefferson’s quick decision making skills allowed him to take advantage of what might have been the only chance to do such a thing even if he needed to go against the Constitution.
Jefferson made many more decisions as president, and not all of them were good ones. During the Napoleonic Wars, many British and French ships began harassing American ships. One of the most famous cases of this was when the British ship, Leopard, violently attacked the American ship, the Chesapeake, and its crew. Jefferson wanted to find a way to make these foreign countries recognize American neutrality and to stop such harsh actions, so he passed the Embargo Act in 1807. The Embargo Act prevented American ships from sailing to foreign ports and foreign ships from unloading cargo at American ports. The idea was that the British and the French would agree to stop attacking American vessels when they realized how hurt they were without American trade. France and Britain, however, were scarcely affected by the Embargo Act and it was instead the American economy that suffered. This was the most negative act of Jefferson’s presidency not only because it did not accomplish its goal of establishing America's neutral rights at sea, but it left many unemployed, crippled the nation’s economy, and cost America over $16 million. The Embargo Act seemed to be a hasty and ill thought out decision that only served to harm America.
Future Influence
Many of Jefferson’s actions had a strong influence on the future. One of these things was the abolition of the slave trade. Jefferson signed a bill that made all importation of slaves illegal after January 1, 1808. Like before in America’s history, this did not stop smugglers, but the numbers of imported slaves were drastically reduced. This was a small but important step towards the removal of slavery in America and also led to many radical changes in the culture and politics of future generations. While would be many years until more action was taken against slavery and even more until it was totally abolished in the country, this ban on the trade paved the way for the country to put an end to slavery.
Conclusion
With everything said, Jefferson may not have been an entirely perfect president, but his presidency, marking the end of federalist and beginning of republican power, without a doubt did great things for the United States. The abolition of the slave trade was a vital step in the removal of slavery in America. The risky and controversial Louisiana Purchase turned out to give the country much more land at a once in a lifetime price and also created new American lifestyles. However, Jefferson took some other risks that were bad for the country. Though he had good intentions, Jefferson failed to see the problems with the Embargo Act and caused a lot of damage to the United States’ economy. Still, America was in a much better place after Jefferson’s two terms of presidency than it was before, and in many ways it was on the road to future success.
Bibliography
Bailey, Thomas A., David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
DeGregorio, William A. The complete book of U.S. presidents. 6th ed. New York: Gramercy Books, 2005. Print.
"Party Division." U.S. Senate. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm>.
"Party Divisions." Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://artandhistory.house.gov/house_history/partyDiv.aspx>.
Summers, Robert. " Presidents of the United States (POTUS)." ipl2: Information You Can Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/tjefferson.html>.
Thomas Jefferson: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1801. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.
Thomas Jefferson: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1805. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.